Azemilcus, King of Tyre

Azemilcus ('zmlk) was the King of Tyre during its siege by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. Alexander had already peacefully taken Bibylos and Sidon and Tyre sent envoys to Alexander agreeing to do his bidding. His response was to declare that he wished to enter the city to sacrifice to Melqart, known to Alexander as the Tyrian Herakles. Azemilcus was with the Persian fleet at the time, and the Tyrians, unsure who would win the war, responded by saying that they would obey any other command but that neither Persians nor Macedonians could enter the city. [Arrian, The Anabasis of Alexander, together with the Indica, E. J. Chinnock, tr. (London: George Bell and Sons, 1893), bk II, 15-25 http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/ArriCamp.html] Alexander finally captured the city, Azemilcus and various other notables, including envoys from Carthage, had taken refuge in the temple of [Melkart] . and Alexander spared their lives.

Notes